It has long been known to provide mailboxes with viewing windows or transparent panels so that both a mailman or the mailbox owner may view the contents of the mailbox before having to open the mailbox door.
This is a feature of both convenience and safety. For example, on a rainy day the mailbox owner may simply drive up to the mailbox in his or her vehicle and peer through the viewing window. In the event the mailbox is empty, the mailbox owner can then simply drive on to an intended destination. Of course, in the absence of the viewing window, the mailbox owner would have had to put down the window of the vehicle and open the mailbox door to confirm the mailbox was empty. Such action would cause the mailbox owner and the interior of the car to become wet with precipitation.
It is also not unusual for vandals to place messy or hazardous materials in a mailbox. The viewing window allows both the mailbox owner and the mailman to confirm the presence or absence of any such materials before opening the door of the mailbox.
Viewing windows for mailboxes are typically relatively small in order to prevent a casual observer from readily viewing the contents of the mailbox. As a result, a large portion of the interior of the mailbox is still typically in deep shadows which prevents complete viewing of the contents of the mailbox through the window. The present invention relates to a mailbox equipped with a device for dispersing light throughout the interior of the mailbox and thereby eliminating the shadows.